Construction underway on new Ford facility in Oroville

OROVILLE &GT;&GT; After a long delay, construction is finally underway next to Oro Dam Auto Center to build a 21,500-square-foot Ford dealership in Oroville.

The building on Oro Dam Boulevard will be the home of Benny Brown Ford.

At his current Oroville Ford office on Montgomery Street, co-owner Bob Byrd spoke about the project and why it was delayed.

Although he and his partner had expected to build the new facility a year ago, they just broke ground three weeks ago.

Byrd said there was a soil problem.

"There was an old mill pond on the property in the 1950s and '60s," he said. "When they left, they just took a bulldozer and covered it over."

Underground were logs and mill pond silt in the soil. Byrd said they had soil tests done and found out they had to do soil work on the site to put in the foundation slabs.

"We took out 6 feet of logs and silt and replaced it with good soil," he said.

The new facility will house about 250 cars and will have 12 service bays.

It will also have a luxurious lobby and will bring more jobs to Oroville.

Ford Motor Co. is involved in the construction, which Byrd said he appreciates. With Ford's involvement, Benny Brown Ford will be the only Ford trust-mark store north of Los Angeles, he said.

The new building, which is part of a design developed by Ford, will have a 25-foot high entry tower.

Inside the lounge will be a granite-topped coffee and juice bar, a big-screen television and comfortable chairs.

Byrd said the anticipated completion date now is Feb. 1, 2015.

The Ford dealership will be connected to the Oro Dam Auto Center, but will be legally separate entities.

Next year, the owners also plan to begin remodeling the Auto Center, Formerly known as Hobbie's.

"It will look more like the Chuck Patterson building in Chico," Byrd said.

He said it's fabulous to finally be under construction.

"We've been here on Montgomery Street 8 1/2 years ... It's very exciting to finally get it done."

Once construction is complete, 15 to 20 employees will be added.

The project costs about $3 million, and Byrd anticipates it adding a lot to Oroville.

"The builder said it will be the nicest building in Oroville," he said.

To Byrd, his new facility will also be a part of Oroville's growth, naming a new Walmart that's coming and a project under construction by Oroville Hospital at the former Montgomery Ward Department Store building.

"There's a lot of growth in Oroville," Byrd said. "I'm really looking forward to growing with the city in the Oroville Area. We're going to be here for a long time."